Eat it!

It was the night before the big game - - ND vs. Stanford. We board the bus and make the short commute from our hotel to the alumni-sponsored dinner du jour. We arrive at Buca di Beppo - Yum (sarcasm included.) I had never been to this restaurant before - never participated in the family-style "fun" that was about to unfold - but like any other pre-game feast, I had come with the intention of eating.

I drew the short straw and ended up sitting next to my coach. My friend Dani was on the other side. Five minutes in, about half way through my 36-ounce Diet Coke, it started coming. Pasta dish after pasta dish. Parm dish after parm dish. We started passing - passing and passing - everything was red, heavy, nauseating. As I received a dish, took a look and passed on, the stares started accumulating.

Okay, what are you eating? 
You can't just eat salad!  
Pass the Chicken Parm to Lo!
We have a game tomorrow - eat!
Where's the Chicken Parm - Give it to Lo! 
We have a dispensation - eat the Chicken Parm!


Back and forth it went - Dani and Coach trying to verbally inject me with the highly caloric fare.
Nervous, uncertain, full of emotions welling up inside me, I tried to defend myself.

I'm good - I just want the salad - That doesn't appeal.

My efforts drew a shorter straw than I had before we sat down for dinner. And the peer pressure and pestering continued.

Eat the Chicken Parm!
Hey waiter, can we have some more Chicken Parm. 
EAT THE CHICKEN PARM!

Somehow I made it out of the restaurant without being force fed. Yes, there were looks of disappointment - doubt that I would be able to make it through a game without a heaping portion of the hearty sustenance - confusion at why I passed it up. But I slept well that night knowing that I had stayed within my comfort zone.

I had lost 20 pounds in Italy - my sabbatical from lacrosse per se - a time in my life when I came to know a lot more about me - the person behind the lacrosse stick. And I wasn't about to beef up again. I had a new nearly vegetarian diet that worked. Just as I had made it through long walks from my apartment to school in Trastevere, runs around the Circus Maximus and strength training sessions alongside the stinky, spandex-clad Italian men at the gym, I managed to make it through the game - I managed to contribute two goals - I managed to help lead our team to a win. I did it fueled on veges (and the box of Cheerios I stole from the hotel, placed in my stick bag, and dove into during halftime.)


Ironically, my friend Dani, the same one who bullied me to consume Bucco di Beppo's signature Chicken Parmesan, asked me to send her some recipes for Fridays in Lent - recipes that would appeal to her pregnant self and her husband. Tonight I'm recommending Eggplant Parmesan to her - a lighter, better, vegier version of the dish I passed up 8 years ago - a Dish that will fuel whatever big game plans you have for Saturday. And it's actually the same dish I made for my Roman roommates in our little apartment nearly a decade ago.

Ingredients:
Small eggplant - sliced into 1/8 inch rounds
Egg - whisk in a small bowl.
Course bread crumbs - put about a cup in a small bowl.
Olive oil
3 garlic cloves minced
1 shallot minced
Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes
12 ounce can whole plum tomatoes
One plum tomato
Fresh Mozzarella
Parmesan Cheese
Basil
Parsley

Directions:
Dip the eggplant slices in egg, then bread crumbs. Pan fry them in olive oil over medium heat - about two minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
Saute garlic and shallot in new round of olive oil for three minutes.
Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes
Arrange one layer of eggplant - top each eggplant with a slice of plum tomato, piece of basil, and mozzarella cheese - repeat for one (or two more layers). Top with chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese. Turn to low, simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Serve. And in the immortal words of Coach, you and my Uncle Mike - "EAT IT!"

(Didn't get a photo of the finished product - we were too hungry!)

Lo.